When I rearranged the house and moved my desk out of my room, I lost out on having a seat to sit on, and somewhere to dump bits and pieces (unless you count the floor). I only have a small space and just couldn't find the right piece of furniture to both fit and meet the desired purpose.
So I headed off to Ikea after work (it is far too convenient, my wallet does suffer), and came home with two Expedit cubes and matching baskets. I chose the single cubes as the larger units were too long for the little space I have. Then I picked up a piece of foam elsewhere, and with a bit of Googling, made myself a cover. The fabric is also from Ikea; its a decorator weight cotton that I bought "just in case" on one of my previous visits.
For a bench this size (40cmx88cm), I used only 1 meter of fabric; the WOF is larger than most quilting fabrics. All up this nifty bit of furniture cost me around $120. I think Bella approves!